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Jason sht I wasn&039;t working I&039;d have reton held it out to Nathaniel He didn&039;t touch the phone, but looked at it, face solemn He shook his head "She&039;s very beautiful"

"Was, Brandon, was beautiful" He held the phone out to me The woman was blond, and beautiful in that Hollyay, so that she was truly beautiful but there was nothing to make her stand out from a dozen other blond beauties It was a type of attractiveness that always seemed artificial, as if they were all made at the same factory and sent out into the world to seduce and marry well

Nathaniel said, "I&039;m sorry"

"Why are you sorry?" he asked, and that flash of anger was back

"Anita said she was sorry for your loss; isn&039;t your ho you lost?"

Bennington nodded

"Then I ah to know that his eer than just norton was far away

I was still trying to usher him out, but I had one last boyfriend outside the door Micah had been planning to join us for lunch, if he could, and there he was, joining us He stepped in, ht with brown hair that curled past his shoulders, tied back in a ponytail that had too reen and yellow, and not human That beautiful face-and for Micah it truly was beauty, not handsome, more delicate jawline, more slender-was only just masculine The leopard eyes in that lovely face just added to the ilasses lasses out autolimpsed thethe eyes," Bennington said, "I saw the interview you did for the news You&039;re the head of the Coalition for Better Understanding Between Humans and Lycanthropes, and I know you&039;re a wereleopard"

Micah stopped trying to fish his glasses out of his suit jacket pocket and just stepped in with a s e are, it just adds to the fear factor" He didn&039;t offer his hand, because some humans didn&039;t want to touch any part of you once they knew you were a shapeshifter Bennington put his hand out, and Micah took it

"Tony Bennington, this is Micah Callahan," I said

They shook hands just like norain, Mr Bennington, I ae you not to try to find someone else to raise your wife"

"It&039;s my money; I can find someone ill take it"

"Yes, but no one will be able to give you back your wife Trust ton"

He nodded, and there was that gliain "I&039;ve already asked around, Ms Blake; everyone said that if anyone can raise my Ilsa so she looks like herself and doesn&039;t know she&039;s dead, you are the only one to go to, and you&039;ve turnedhis control beginning to slip

Micah said, "I aton, but Anita is the expert on the undead; if she says it would go badly, I&039;d trust her"

Bennington &039;s gaze went straight to anger He turned and put that gaze on Micah "It&039;s a terrible thing to lose the one you love, Mr Callahan"

"Yes, it is," Micah said

The twothat calm that helped him talk new shapeshifters dohen they were about to lose control, and Bennington giving off that tightly wound rage He turned back toher back?"

"It&039;s the only answer I have, Mr Bennington I&039;m sorry that I can&039;t help you"

"Won&039;t help, you mean"

"I said what I meant-I can&039;t"

He shook his head, over and over; his face was bleak, as if soone out of him Maybe it was hope; one I would have given him back his hope, if I could have, but I honestly couldn&039;t do what he wanted; no one could

He turned and looked at the three men, slowly, then back tohim it was none of his business, but in the face of such pain, I told the truth "Yes"

"All three of the, that I love-loved Micah and Nathaniel, but loved Jason as a friend The fact that I had sex with all of them sort of muddied the waters for most people, but the four of us were clear on hoe felt about each other, and all of us knew that Jason waselse second We were secure, so I gave the short answer: "I do"

He looked at all of us again, nodded once, and then opened the door "I&039;ve never been able to love more than one person at a time It would be easier if I could"

I didn&039;t knohat to say to that, so I didn&039;t bother I tried to put o at that

"Their being here with you proves that at least some of the tallest tales about you are true"

"You keep leaving ton"

"I thought women always knehat to say"

"I don&039;t"

"My as a very different kind of woman than you, Ms Blake"

"I hear that a lot," I said

"Please, help ive her back to you, Mr Bennington No hu could do what you truly want, no ht be"

"And what do I truly want?"

"You want resurrection of the body and ton, ood"

He left then without another word, closing the door carefully behind hied me "That was unpleasant"

I raised ed him back "Unpleasant," I said "That&039;s one word for it"

Nathaniel hugged me from behind, and I was suddenly sandwiched between my two live-in sweeties Nathaniel kissed the top of eously, andas I&039;," Micah said

"It&039;s okay that you don&039;t flirt in public," Nathaniel said, "you do fine at home"

Jason came to stand beside us "If four&039;s a crowd I can take a hint"